Modern Pride and Prejudice
by dail-of-the-air
Summary: Doesn't follow the original plot, and not all the same characters. Currently on hiatus, but what I have right now is decent! Please read and review!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pride and Prejudice**

* * *

A certain Miss Bennet sat in her bay window, reading a book and occasionally glancing out the window where she could view her backyard and some beautiful rose bushes, but nothing else.

Soon, Elizabeth tired of her book and began writing in her journal. She wrote abut her new next door neighbors – the Bingleys and their adopted children, William and Georgiana Darcy. She didn't really write about the new family, rather, she wrote about her mother, who had forced the entire Bennet family to go next door to greet their new neighbors before they'd even had a chance to refresh themselves.

Liz had always felt that her mother was entirely too nosy, a sentiment shared by her eldest sister, Jane, and her father. Unfortunately, the baby of the family, Lydia, had turned out to be just as nosy as her mother and more flirtatious than Anne Boleyn trying to catch the eye of Henry VII.

Anyways, she'd learned three things about the Bingley/Darcys: They were rich, they were all beautiful, and they all possessed the charisma that equals popularity. The children, four in all, were the Bennet girls' age: Charles Bingley and Will Darcy were seniors, like Jane; Caroline Bingley and Georgiana 'Anna' Darcy were juniors, like Liz. Apparently, the Darcy siblings had decided to keep their birth names when they joined the Bingleys rather late in childhood, so Darcy their name had stayed.

* * *

The next day was the first day of school. Oh, how Liz hated the boredom and materialistic world of high school. Jane, of course, was the popular pick for Homecoming Queen, but she didn't have a boyfriend to share the throne with, so she was out of the running for now, but still very popular. Lydia was a popular sophomore. Elizabeth was considered a part of the popular crowd, but she tended to spend some time alone in the library to get away from unruly teenage hormones.

As Jane pulled into the parking lot, a rather familiar blue Porsche was spotted in the Bennet sisters' usual spot. Jane, with her trademark cheerfulness, simply despite Liz's grumbling and Lydia rubbernecking to find the Porsche's owner.

"You can stop looking, Lydia. Don't you remember that that's Will Darcy's car? Or were you too busy ogling at his butt?"

Lydia was not embarrassed in the least by Liz's teasing. "For your information, I was still dissecting his face when we left. Besides, who cares about how pretty the car is if the owner's even prettier?"

Elizabeth sighed and got out of the car. As soon as she reached her homeroom, Georgiana Darcy, aka Anna, was beside her.

"Hi, Elizabeth! I'm so excited! I've already met some of the people in our class, and they are just so nice! Charlotte Lucas was absolutely the most interesting person I've met in ages!"

"Hey, Anna. Glad to see you've met Lotty. Call me Liz -- I only hear Elizabeth when I'm in trouble, capital T."

Anna, it seemed, was a very hyper person. Liz introduced her to everybody in her class and pointed out People to Avoid. Liz may have disliked the social network of high school, but she wasn't stupid enough to completely disregard it. She knew what was a 'do' and what was a 'don't'.

Liz had the next four periods with either Anna Darcy or Caroline Bingley. She was much happier than she had been in a while when she walked into fifth period. Liz enjoyed her afternoon classes the best -- math and journalism were her favorite subjects.

She walked to her usual desk, only to find it occupied by Will Darcy. What was it with him and talking her usual spots? Liz brushed it off; she was too happy to care. She took a seat next to him and settled in for the beginning of journalism.

"Hey, Will," she said. "How's your first day at Netherfield High?"

"Fun, I guess. I liked my old school better. The girls were prettier and had more personality. And everybody was smarter." Liz ignored the insult; her good mood was dangerously close to fading, but she was determined to hold on to it.

"I didn't see you at lunch. Where were you?"

"At the library. If Netherfield High doesn't have a lot of pretty girls, the more than make up for it in books." Just then, the bell rang and the teacher began his lecture. Will Darcy didn't speak to Liz for the rest of the period. She passed it off as being a good student, but she was wrong.

* * *

Liz ended up being paired with Will for the year. Lucky Jane got paired with Charles Bingley. Liz had noticed Jane and Charlie getting rather cozy, and she knew that in less than a week, they would be a couple. She was right.

Sure, Liz and Jane got plenty of jealous stares from the girls in the class when the teacher called out the pairings, but that didn't matter to Liz when Will gave only monosyllable answers when absolutely necessary and generally treated her like pariah. Liz sighed. It was going to be a long year.

* * *

Will always ignored Liz. She knew she shouldn't care so much when the other Bingleys and Anna were such great friends with her, but she did. Jane and Liz were like sisters to the Bingleys and Anna, but Will always had a sort of detached coldness when he talked to Liz. He would converse merrily with Jane, tolerate Lydia and her gossip girl attitude, but he simply would not talk to Liz beyond the requisite 'hi' and 'bye'. Liz's afternoons had gone from 'supposed to be favorite part of the day' to 'DREADED'.

Liz continued miserably through her school afternoons. She couldn't figure out why she cared so much about Will Darcy and the way he treated her, and she resented him for that. Liz was a junior, but she'd never had a long-term relationship or anybody she particularly cared for romantically. She was confused by her sudden interest in Will.

She was surprised when Will caught her on the last day before winter break. Liz was packing up and tidying her locker when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to find Will Darcy standing close behind her.

"Liz, I -- well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for treating you so rudely." She opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly he was kissing her with so much intensity that all she could do was kiss him back.

They were in a hallway full of students in a festive mood. There were several catcalls and wolf whistles before Will broke away. When he did, he found himself looking into the fierce eyes of an angry cat.

* * *

Liz was livid. How dare Will kiss her after treating her like pariah?

"How dare you!" she shrieked, slapping him across the face. The hallway went silent, but neither noticed. "How dare you!" she punctuated every word with a slap. "What the hell are you doing? You treat me like pariah," double slap this time, "and the you kiss me!" Liz turned her back and packed up angrily, then stomped out of school in a fury. Will let her. What else could he do? Everything she'd said was true.

* * *

That's why it came as a surprise when Liz came over on her own Christmas Eve. She had a tray of cookies and presents. Will answered the door to see a vsion in white.

"Hi, Liz. I'm sorry about, um ... err ... the other day," he finished lamely. There was an akward silence.

"Will, if I could talk to you privately after this ..." she used her chin to point out her present-laden arms. It wasn't forgiveness, but at least it was something.

"Of course, come on in! Anna and Caroline will be delighted to see you, as will Charlie and the Parents."

So began the half hour or so of gift giving and cookie eating. Finally, it was time to leave. And talk to Liz. She nodded to Will to remind him of his promise.

"I'll walk you out, Liz. I really wish you could stay longer," said Will.

"Next time, bring Jane!" cried Charlie.

"But she comes every day, Charles. Besides, I have to go. Bye, everybody, Merry Early Christmas! Thanks for having me."

"Oh, thanks for coming," said Mr. and Mrs. Bingley.

Will walked Liz to the front door and into the driveway.

"D'you mind taking a walk around the neighborhood?" he asked abruptly.

"No. Let's go." They walked in the crisp air of California wintertime, taking in the festive decor of the neighborhood.

"So what'd you want to talk to me about?" asked Will.

"I wanted to say that I'm sorry. I shouldn't have slapped you like that. I should have been pleased out of my mind that the most lusted after guy in school kissed me on the last day of school, and even more happy that my locker happened to be one with mistletoe under it. I don't know what happened to me. I just want you to know that I know now that I ..." here she paused, seeming choose her words carefully. "I, well, I love you. I figured that out when you kissed me; that was why I cared so much that you ignored me. Because I loved you, and I wasn't willing to admit it."

"I've been very confused about that .... you definitely gave mixed messages." Will chuckled lightly under his breath. "But I have to say that the fault is mine. I shouldn't have 'treated you like pariah'. It's just that I was so confused about you, but now I'm not" He kissed her long and hard, like last time, but this time there was no confusion. There was only new-found love.

They walked back hom, having their first decent conversation. Actually, it was more than a decent conversation. When Lydia saw the lovebirds coming up the walk hand in hand, she couldn't believe her eyes. She ran off to spread the news after a very quick interrogation.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: **Sorry it's taken me so long to update -- I've been busy. Now, Chapter 2!**

Elizabeth returned to jealous glares. Of course, practically everybody in the school knew that she was going out with Will Darcy by now, due to Lydia's obssession with gossip, but that didn't stop the disbelievers. Liz found that she was surprisingly oblivious to the glares and whispers. All she cared was that she was with the person she somehow knew that she'd spend her life with.

Will had turned out to be quite the romantic. Even though they were next door neighbors, he still drove her to school everyday. Even Charles wouldn't do that for Jane. He walked her to her first class, and was waiting outside the door for lunch. Then, they had the rest of the day together, taking full advantage of the fact that they were paired for Jounalism class. Jealous glares in that class were nearly twice the amount Liz got anywhere else in the school, at any time of day.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know I haven't updated in forever, and I know that this isn't super long and it doesn't really advance the plot, but I just wanted to put something new out there. I think I'm going to go back and develop the events in Chapter 1 a little more and break it down into more chapters, so there'll be more material, but the story won't be advancing for a while. Sorry!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pride and Prejudice.**

* * *

Elizabeth returned to jealous glares. Of course, practically everybody in the school knew that she was going out with Will Darcy by now, due to Lydia's obsession with gossip, but that didn't stop the disbelievers. Liz found that she was surprisingly oblivious to the glares and whispers. All she cared was that she was with the person she somehow knew that she'd spend her life with.

Will had turned out to be quite the romantic. Even though they were next door neighbors, he still drove her to school everyday. Even Charles wouldn't do that for Jane. He walked her to her first class, and was waiting outside the door for lunch. Then, they had the rest of the day together, taking full advantage of the fact that they were paired for Journalism class. Jealous glares in that class were nearly twice the amount Liz got anywhere else in the school, at any time of day.

Seeing as Liz had spent most of her middle- and high-school years fending off attention, you'd think that she hated all the attention she was getting now, as Will's girlfriend. However, the opposite was the case. She found that the 'in-crowd' wasn't really as snobby and shallow as she thought they were -- they just liked to shop a _lot_. Of course, she couldn't overcome all her prejudices towards _certain people_ in the group, nor could those same people overcome their pride and have a decent conversation with her. Still, she spent more time with Jane, and she got to be with Will and Charles.

Anna and Caroline were not forgotten. They had always been relatively popular, and could have spent their time with the 'in-crowd' if they had cared to do so. Now, the entire Bingley/Darcy family could be found with the elder Bennet sisters at the popular table. _Ah_, thought Liz, _I still can't seem to get past calling this table the in-crowd._ Liz's reveries were broken by a certain voice.

"God, she's not sitting here _again_, is she?" said Collin. He was one of the _certain people_ that Liz simply could not get over her prejudices for. Collin used to be quite nice to her -- in elementary. Then, in middle school, his character had started a one-eighty degree turn, and by the time they'd gotten to Netherfield High, he'd become a condescending jerk.

"Collin, according to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, I can and may sit here if it is my wish to do so. Leave, if you don't want to be seen sitting with me, because I'm in the middle of a conversation."

"Geek, I can't believe you're calling this a conversation. Why would I ever want to talk to you?"

"Joy, the jerk has spoken, and to Liz Bennet no less. I wasn't talking about you, genius; I was talking about the transfer and reception of ideas between my boyfriend, sister, her boyfriend, our boyfriends' sisters, and myself."

Collin appeared confused by Liz's last sentence. "Yeah, well," he spluttered, "whatever. You're not worth shit, Bennet."

"Neither are you, Wickham," she replied sweetly. She turned back to her table, which had been watching. Since Collin was the supposed 'King of Comebacks,' they had all been watching to see what would happen. Liz's eyes narrowed dangerously when Will picked up the $10 on the table.

"You weren't betting on me, were you, Charles, Will?"

"No, sweetheart, it's very inappropriate to place bets on ladies of excellence."

Liz sighed and let it drop. She knew that Will would never admit to placing wagers on her, and that she'd never believe him when he said that he hadn't been placing bets. Soon, the whole matter was forgotten as Jane changed subjects skillfully.

The rest of the school year passed in a blink. Time seemed to blur -- Liz marked time by special events. Jane's surprise birthday party, Lydia finally seeming to settle down with one boyfriend, George Wickham (who was much sweeter than his brother, Collin), and, of course, prom with Will. Liz could remember every detail of that event.

_June 21  
Yesterday was so much fun! Lydia dressed Jane and me up, and we did each other's makeup, but Lydia wouldn't let us look in the mirror until she was finished torturing our scalps -- or at least my scalp. I wish my hair was as easy to style as Jane's._

_I ended up in a deep purple dress -- Lydia wouldn't let us see our dresses until we had to put them on. It's a beautiful silk affair, halter top and a good four inches above the knee but still modest, considering this is Lydia we're talking about. Jane was wearing soft pink, of course -- Lydia's always said that any other color is an insult to Jane's blonde hair-blue eyes coloring. Brown eye shadow, very little mascara, natural pink blush, and clear lip gloss for Jane, her eyes were seriously bluer than cobalt. No kidding. I had really pale purple eye shadow (barely noticeable, because Lydia says that I should focus on my lips more) and tons of mascara, because I've got really wimpy lashes. Same blush as Jane, but really pink, shiny lipstick. Jane had strappy brown heels, really delicate to go with a delicate dress, and I had black pumps._

_Then, Will and Charles came over, and we waited for George to pick us up in the limo. There was the whole corsage-picture-weeping-mother affair, and then we got in the limo. Lucky us, we each got an entire row of seats to ourselves, but we stayed all together in the front, talking. We arrived, more pictures, and then dancing and good food, and Lydia and George went for the alcohol, but the rest of us wanted to stay sober for at least the first few hours._

_I think Will almost felt bad for being my only dance partner, pretty much. Collin's been nicer to me lately, we danced for one fast song, and of course I had to dance with George and Charles. All the other songs that I danced for were with Will, or they were girls only. We went back to the limo early, and I'll just say that things got very steamy...._

_I'm worried about Lydia. When I was dancing with George, he got this look in his eyes, the sort of look that boys get when Jane and I are out shopping and don't realize that we already have boyfriends. The lust/possessiveness look. And it occurred to me that I'd seen this look on George many times before, I just chose to ignore it. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I don't like it. George isn't a known player, but you never know. There's not much I can do but wait for more concrete evidence – God knows that jumping to conclusions kept me from Will for half the school year._

Liz sighed. Now, there was only graduation left in the school year, then summer, and then Will would be off to college. College on the East Coast, Ivy League, a law school called Yale. She was proud of him, for getting accepted into Yale, but she did wish that he would stay in California for a year, take his first two years in the UC system instead of in the East. Then, they could apply for far-off colleges together.


End file.
